Real Madrid star Gareth Bale came off the bench to find the back of the net for Wales against hosts Netherlands, but it was not enough to record a result. Gareth Bale scored from the penalty spot in the second minute of stoppage to tie the scoreline at 2-2 having come on as a second half substitute for Leeds United forward Daniel James with twenty minutes left on the clock. In the end, Memphis Depay scored a dramatic winner for the Dutch team in stoppage time to secure the points for the home team.
Gareth Bale and Wales came into the game against the Netherlands at De Kuip in Rotterdam on Tuesday needing a win to stay in contention for the UEFA Nations League finals. They suffered a setback on 17 minutes when Club Brugge star Noa Lang gave the Dutch team the lead and things got worse six minutes later with PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo increasing the lead to 2-0. Three minutes later, Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson halved the deficit as Wales retained an interest in the game at the end of the first half.
Bale came off the substitutes’ bench for the aforementioned James in the second half and he was the recipient of the Walesequaliser from 12 yards out. The Real Madrid forward scored from the spot to level proceedings for his team, but they were level for just one minute after Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay hit the back of the net with the winning goal for the Dutch team. Depay matched Bale by coming on as a substitute to score.
With the late defeat to the Netherlands, Wales are no longer in contention for the UEFA Nations League finals. They are bottom of their group after one point from four games. Wales and the Netherlands are in Group A4 alongside Poland and Belgium.